Kate Middleton, Prince William arrive in LA

Prince William and Kate arrived in Los Angeles on Friday afternoon to begin a jam-packed three-day visit of Southern California.

After touching down, William and Kate, now referred to formally as Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, greeted business and city leaders, including Councilman Tom LaBonge and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

The royal couple headed to the Beverly Hilton, where they attended a technology summit aimed at promoting U.S. investment in British tech firms. Instead of fighting traffic on the 405 Freeway, the couple's motorcade chose to take side streets to Beverly Hills.

From the Beverly Hilton, the couple headed to Hancock Park, where they are staying at the British Consul General's home.

On Saturday, Prince William will be playing in a polo match in Santa Barbara. Preparations are in full swing for the event, where VIP tickets costs $4,000 each.

Julie Lin of San Marino said she bought two tickets.

"How am I going to make my husband think this is going to be so much fun, once in a lifetime and worth every dollar?" Lin joked.

The royals will head to the Belasco Theatre on Saturday night in downtown Los Angeles for a star-studded red carpet event put on by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Tom Hanks, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lopez and Barbra Streisand reportedly are among the stars expected to attend the event.

The couple will go to Skid Row on Sunday to meet with kids at Inner-City Arts. The organization focuses on bridging the gap from the art studio to the classroom. Their trip ends with a visit to Sony Studios for a veterans job fair.

Security is tight for the royal couple's Southern California visit. They will be whisked from one event to the next. The trip will be more of a state visit than a meet-and-greet, so the state department is in charge of security.

Police have pretty much put a lid on opportunities for paparazzi. Neighbors in Hancock Park have signed agreements that let police arrest anyone on their lawns.

Longtime paparazzi and celebrity photographer Giles Harrison doesn't believe there will be much paparazzi interest.

"Because they are the most photographed people on the planet, they are not going to be doing anything different than they normally do. It's a state visit, so it will be very controlled," Harrison said.

Restaurants rolled out their British food favorites for the royal visit, while Kate's fashion was bringing big business at local boutiques.

In the trendy Montana Avenue shopping district, one store had Kate to thank for a surge in sales. After Kate wore a pair of crocodile-textured flats, London Sole's website crashed.

"Our website in the states crashed, no joke. For 24 hours, it was shut down. We thought we were being hacked, but people were just massively ordering the shoe," said Maggie Katreva of London Sole.

As a tribute to the royal couple, Spago's is offering dishes served at the royal wedding, while the iconic hot dog eatery Pink's added what they call the "royal dog," which features mustard, cheese, onions, pickle relish, a spot of Pink's famous chili and two slices of bacon.

Timeline of Prince William and Kate's visit:

Friday, July 8

3:40 p.m. PT: The royal couple arrives at Los Angeles International Airport

4:30 p.m. PT: They arrive at the Beverly Hilton for a reception

7:00 p.m. PT: They attend an event at the British Consul General's home in Hancock Park